About

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide

Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University (also known as Embry-Riddle or ERAU) is the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, is a non-profit independent institution offering more than 70 baccalaureate, master's and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Aviation, Business, Engineering, and Security & Intelligence. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona, and through the Worldwide Campus with more than 150 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and through online programs. The university is a major research center, seeking solutions to real-world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies. Called "the Harvard of the sky" in the subtitle of an article in in 1979, Embry–Riddle's foundations go back to the early years of flight, and the University now awards associate's, bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in various disciplines, including aviation, aerospace engineering, business, and science.

History

On December 17, 1925 exactly 22 years after the Wright Brothers' first flight, entrepreneur Talton Higbee Embry and barnstormer John Paul Riddle founded the Embry-Riddle Company at Lunken Airport in Cincinnati, Ohio. The following spring, the company opened the Embry-Riddle School of Aviation.

The Fritz Hotel in Miami, Florida. Embry-Riddle occupied the building prior to moving to Daytona Beach, Florida.

In 1939 Riddle contacted Embry with a view to getting back into training pilots, but Embry was not interested. Riddle, now living in Miami, Florida, found a partner in John G. McKay and his wife Isabel. Keeping the Embry-Riddle name, they re-established the Embry-Riddle School of Aviation, partnering with the University of Miami to provide flight training under the Civilian Pilot Training Program, increasing the number of pilots immediately preceding World War II. The Embry-Riddle School of Aviation expanded rapidly, and soon moved to the former Fritz Hotel.

Though it began as a school for pilots and aircraft mechanics, the University now offers more than 40 undergraduate and graduate degrees. It combines an impressive faculty with state-of-the-art buildings, laboratories, classrooms, and a diverse student population. Embry-Riddle enrolls nearly 32,000 undergraduate and graduate students annually, representing all 50 states and 125 nations. The Worldwide Campus enrolls more than 24,000 students, the Daytona Beach campus more than 5,100, and the Prescott campus more than 1,700.

Awards & Certifications/Accreditation

The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award degrees at both residential campuses as well as through Embry-Riddle Worldwide at the associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral levels. The university’s programs in Aviation Maintenance, Air Traffic Management, Applied Meteorology, Aeronautical Science, Aerospace & Occupational Safety, Flight Operations, and Airport Management are all accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI). The bachelor and master’s programs in business at worldwide and campus are accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

The programs in Aeronautics, Air Traffic Management, Applied Meteorology, and Aerospace Studies are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

In May 2014, the U.S. News & World Report ranked Embry-Riddle Worldwide one of the nation’s top online educators for veterans.

The Embry-Riddle Athletics administration announced in July 2014 that the University has been accepted into the NCAA Division II membership process.

In July, the university also became the nation’s first FAA-approved training provider for student airline certification.

Worldwide campus

Embry-Riddle Worldwide has more than 150 campuses across the globe, more than 90 on military bases and the option to take online courses. Graduates have come from more than 100 countries. And the campus is still expanding.

The two largest employers of Embry-Riddle graduates are the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army. Notable alumni include six NASA astronauts.

Embry-Riddle Worldwide campus was established in 1970 and became a global network of more than 150 learning locations in the United States, Europe, Canada, the Middle East, and Asia, including military bases. Embry-Riddle Worldwide also provides a virtual "online campus". U.S. News & World Report ranked Embry-Riddle #5 Best out of almost 300 Online Bachelor's Programs. Facilities with aviation functions are available for students not able to attend a residential campus. Programs of study are offered at the undergraduate and graduate level (as well as certificate and non-degree), including the rare Master of Business Administration in Aviation (MBA-A), ranked #70 Best Online MBA Program (out of about 250). As of 2014, the Worldwide campus was headed by Chancellor John R. Watret, Ph.D.

Admissions

Embry-Riddle’s acceptance rate for the fall of 2012 was 71.6 percent. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 73 percent.

The average unweighted academic GPA of students currently enrolled to graduate in 2018 is 3.41. The average SAT scores of these students is 598 in Math, 555 in Critical Reading and 536 in Writing.

Professional Programs

As part of Embry-Riddle’s commitment to continuing professional education and lifelong learning, ERAU hosts a variety of aviation-focused short-courses. All courses are offered in a face-to-face classroom taught by industry experts. These courses — ranging in topic from Unmanned Aircraft Systems to Aircraft Accident Investigation and Management — are tailored for professionals involved in the operations, management, and supervision of aviation organizations.

The Embry-Riddle Prescott Campus is home to the Robertson Safety Institute (RSI); a center for research, development, short courses, and corporate outreach in safety education. The campus boasts outstanding resources including the Robertson Crash Lab, Aviation Safety and Security Archives and immediate access to advanced engineering, scientific, and forensic resources.

Research

Daytona Beach While rooted in aviation, research at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus has expanded to include a diverse range of areas, including engineering, cyber and homeland security, human factors, modeling and simulation, and business. The same technologies and expertise faculty have developed and applied to aerospace and aviation related research, they now apply directly to other areas — space systems, high-performance vehicles, unmanned and autonomous systems, robotics, alternative and sustainable energy, medical human factors, commercial space operations and more.

The university is expanding its partnerships with industry in developing the Aerospace Research and Technology Park adjacent to the Daytona Beach campus. Supported by new research centers and laboratories, this park will not only foster research growth on campus, but it will also provide an ideal setting for cross-fertilization and innovation between the campus and its partners. Embry-Riddle also manages the FAA NextGen Florida Test Bed, where technology is being developed that will support the nation’s expanding air transportation needs. Research will contribute to reducing fuel consumption and associated emissions, improving situational awareness for pilots, and providing safer and more efficient passenger service.

Prescott At the Prescott Campus, a total of $60,000 in Eagle-Prize (E-Prize) Grants is available each year for student teams participating in collegiate, national or international design or research competitions. Teams that participate in high-stature competitions, have a diverse membership and demonstrate a great likelihood of success with sound methodology and clear business plans are most likely to receive funding.

Ignite Grants, part of Embry-Riddle’s Quality Enhancement Plan, are available up to $48,000 annually for students wishing to participate in research and innovation under the tutelage of a faculty mentor.

Athletics

Administration announced in July 2014 that Embry-Riddle has been accepted into the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II membership process. Embry-Riddle began intercollegiate athletics competition on its Daytona Beach Campus in 1988 and has since transformed into a highly successful program that sponsors 17 intercollegiate sports teams, as well as coed cheerleading. Embry-Riddle fields teams in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field (indoor/outdoor), and women’s volleyball.

In June, the Athletics program at the Daytona Beach Campus won the Sun Conference Commissioner’s Cup for the 15th straight year.

Facilities

At the Prescott Campus, the athletics area takes up the western part of campus and includes the fitness center, gymnasiums, varsity soccer field and track, and recreation fields. Just north of these sits the outdoor swimming pool and courts for racquetball, tennis, and sand volleyball. Built in 2011, the 3,465-square-foot fitness center is home to a weight room and a new cardio room with flat-screen TVs, iPod/MP3-ready workout machines, an aerobics room and classes.

The Athletics Center was also recently renovated with new a Fitness Center and locker rooms. The renovation, set to be completed by June 2015, is a $4.2M project that includes new basketball court and bleachers, new trainer’s facilities, offices and more. The Daytona Campus boasts an intercollegiate softball field; an NCAA-approved quarter-mile track; an intercollegiate soccer stadium; an intercollegiate baseball field; and nine lighted, hard tennis courts with an electronic scoreboard.